Louis marie joseph charles clement renard



(No Model.)

L. M. J. O. O. RENARD.

GALVANIG BATTERY.

No. 425,959. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS MARIE JOSEPH CIIARLES CLEMENT RENARD, or MENDON, NEAR PARIS,FRANCE.

GALVAN lC BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,959, dated April15, 1890.

Application filed March 5, 1889. Serial No. 302,032. (No model.)Patented in Belgium June 13, 1888,1To. 8,700; in France July 20, 1888,No. 190,600, and in Italy October 22, 1888,1To. 9,606-

.Tnne 9,1888, No. 82,139; in England To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS MARIE JosErII CIIARLEs CLEMENT RENARD, majorof engineers and chief of the Etablissement Central dAerostationMilitaire, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at No. 7 Avenue deTrivaux, Mendon, near Paris, France, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in and relating to Electric Batteries, (for which Ihave obtained Letters Patent in France, No. 100,000, dated July 20,1888; in Belgium, No. 82,130, dated June 0, 1888; in Italy, No. 0,000,dated October 22, 1888, and in England, No. 8,700, dated June 13, 1888;)and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, and to the letters marked thereon.

My invention relates to galvanic batteries; and the first part of mysaid invention consists in providing an improved chemical composition ofchromic liquid for use in electric or galvanic batteries as anexciting-liquid.

My said invention comprises, moreover, other improvements, hereinafterset forth.

In carrying my said invention into practice I employ as anexciting-fluid chromic liquid formed by a solution of chromic acid (andnot of an alkaline chromate) in dilute hydrochloric acid. Chromic acidcan, moreover, be employed either in its ordinary or usual form or inthe form of solutions, more or less pure, obtained by treating alkalinechromates with sulphuric acid and by crystallizin g the alkalinesulphates resulting from the reaction, in order to eliminate them fromthe liquid. A chlorochroinic solution can also be obtained by receivingthe vapors of chlorochromic acid in water, in which the said vapors aredecomposed and dissolved in the form of a mixture of hydrochloric acidand chromic acid, as required. The said solution can, moreover, beobtained by dissolving in water chlorochromic acid previously prepared.

Various processes are known for obtaining chromic acid in either a solidor fluid condition and. sufficiently free from alkaline bases to beemployed in my electric or galvanic battery.

I wish itto be understood that in carrying my invention into eii'ect Ican employ chromic acid in all its industrial or other forms andobtained by any well-known process, and elfect its mixture withhydrochloric acid by any convenient process and in any proportions. I

The employment of ehromic acid (and not of an alkaline chromate) inhydrochlor c solution forms a distinct feature of my said invention.

he chlorochromic liquids may be obtained by the processes abovedescribed; but those which give the best results are obtained bydissolving pure crystallized chromic ac d direct in hydrochloric acidmore or less dilute. It is under these conditions that the maximumeffect can be obtained. lVhatever may be the relative proportions of thetwo acids, goods results are obtained with the elements herein afterdescribed.

The following is an example of a convenient mixture which will give goodresults: Hydrochloric acid at 11, (lBaumes aerometer,) two hundred cubiccentimeters, and pure crystallized chromic acid from forty to onehundred grains.

An important characteristic of my said 111- vention consists in thespecific activity of my chloroehromic battery, the power of wh ch,calculated in number of wattsf per kil0- gram of battery and per second,being greatly superior to that of ordinary chromic batteries. I Similarelements to be charged, the first with chlorocromic liquid, the secondwith a hydrochloric solution of bichromate of potash, (dArsonvalsbattery,) the third with the sulphuric solution of bichromate of potashordinarily employed, the results obtaIned-that is to say, the powerdevelopedrepresented in numbers of watts, will be nearly proportional tothe figures 0, 2, and 1. My electric or galvanic battery has, moreover,a total specific energy (calculated in number of JOUlGS given off perkilogram of the battery) much superior to that of chromic batteriesgener- As an example, supposing three exactly.

ally in use. By substituting for part of the hydrochloric acid a likequantity of sulphuric acid the energy exerted by the liquid per secondis decreased; but the total energy developed remains the same. By thesemeans the length of time in which the total energy of theexciting-liquid is expended may be regulated according to requirements.

I employ elements consisting each of one or more vertical tubularcouples of electrodes comprising a zinc pencil or red the diameter ofwhich is very small in comparison to its length and aconducting-cylinder entirely surrounding the zinc pencil and consistingof a tube of carbon or of any suitable metal. A cell'constructed ofglass, ebonite, or other suitable material is employed to contain theliquid in which the zinc pencil surrounded by the conducting-cylinder isimmersed.

In the accompanying drawing I have represented in vertical section anelement consistin g of a single couple of electrodes of the form andproportions found best to answer in carrying my invention into effect.

In the drawing, (t represents the positive electrode, consisting of azinc pencil which has a very small diameter in comparison with itslength.

Z1 is the negative electrode, surrounding the zinc pencil and supportedby a ring or washer b at its upper end and connected to a ring I) ofebonite at its lower end. The zinc pencil a is formed with a head a atits upper end, resting on a metal boss a a set-screw a being employed tofix the zinc pencil a in the boss a a is the positive conductor, and bthe negative conductor.

c is the cell, of ebonite, glass, or other suitable material.

(1 represents the level of the exciting-liquid.

Each element may consist of one tubular couple of electrodes immersed ina cell, as represented in the accompanying drawing, or it may consist oftwo or more similar tubular couples of electrodes immersed in the samecell. In the first case the said cell can, if de sired, be dispensedwith, and the exciting-fluid in such case can be placed directly in theabove-described cylinder composed of con ducting material, which isrendered watertight for such purpose.

I would here remark that I do not claim, broadly, the employment of azinc electrode surrounded by a tube of carbon or of metal, as a zincpencil has already been employed in the Leclanch battery, nor theemployment of tubes of carbon or of metal, but the combination of thezinc pencil with the tubular envelope and in their relative arrangementand proportions, as shown and described. There are also known batteries-Bunsens, for example-in which zinc is in the interior of a carboncylinder; but the zinc is not a pencil. It is a very thick piece inrelation to its lei'l'gth.

I preferably employ a zinc pencil'whose dimensions are so calculatedthat the zinc is entirely dissolved when the liquid is exhausted, sothat each new charge of liquid should correspond with the renewal of thezinc pencil. This arrangement has for its object to place in the batteryonly the exact weight of Zinc necessary for its working, andconsequently to reduce to the minimum the weight and volume.

By constructing my battery as above described I increase the density ofthe current upon the zinc, and consequently diminish the local action ascompared with the electric attachor action which constitutes the usefulwork of the battery. The working power of the electric or galvanicbattery is thus much increased by the above-described arrangement. -Thetubular form of the elements in about the proportions above describedis, moreover, favorable to the cooling down of the same, which isnecessary in this battery, as the specific activity is very great andthe exciting-fluid might attain too high a temperature if the cells didnot present a considerable external surface in proportion to theirvolume.

Another feature of my invention is the employment as a negativeelectrode of a sheet of silver covered by lamination on both surfaceswith a very thin coating of platinum. I thus obtain a conductorpossessing the 0011- ducting power of silver with the inalterability ofplatinum, the cost of which, moreover, is not much more than if it weremade entirely of silver.

Although I have hereinbefore described a convenient method of carryingmy said invention into practice, it is obvious that I can somewhatmodify the construction of my battery without departing from the natureof my inventionas, for instance, instead of forming the Zinc pencil aand the negative electrode b of a circular form, they may be of angularor other form, provided they are employed in. somewhat similarproportions to those hereinbefore described, and shown in the drawing.

Having now particularly described and as certained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. A galvanic cell consisting of a cup containingchlorochromic acid and silver electrodes platinized 011 both surfaces bylamination, as described.

2. A single fluid galvanic cell having an exciting-liquid composed ofchromic acid and hydrochloric acid combined with sulphuric acid, asexplained.

LOUIS MARIE JOSEPH CHARLES CLEMENT RENARD. lVitnesses:

PAUL RENARD, C. GEORGE.

